A new First Minister for Wales

24 July 2024 | Admin

As the window for nominations for Wales’ next First Minister has officially closed, Baroness Eluned Morgan of Ely, has emerged as next First Minister of Wales, securing 26 out of 30 nominations from the Labour Group.

Morgan hasn’t always been the obvious choice. In 2018, Morgan struggled to get enough nominations from Senedd colleagues to get on the ballot paper for the leadership election. Earlier this year, Morgan recused herself from the leadership election on the basis that there wasn’t “any room for [her] to take on anymore.” Many will undoubtedly be asking what has changed in a matter of months. Until his dramatic resignation, Jeremy Miles may have been seen as a natural replacement for Vaughan Gething, but his Welsh Labour colleagues have rallied around the Baroness of Ely. Many outlets have reported interventions from senior figures to ensure that Miles did not stand, as this would ensure continuation of the bitter divide that has dominated Welsh Labour.

In striking contrast, Eluned Morgan has risen above in-fighting and emerged as a unifying figure for Welsh Labour. Morgan is  a safe pair of hands that will ensure the Welsh Labour Senedd Group return to looking outwards and governing, rather than continuing the divisive path they are on.

Reflecting on her record, it isn’t hard to see why Eluned Morgan has received the support of an overwhelming number of her peers. Morgan was a Member of the European Parliament representing Wales between 1994 and 2009. In 2011, she was granted a peerage and thereafter served as the Shadow Minister for Wales in the House of Lords, and later as Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs. In 2016, Morgan was elected from the regional list as the Senedd Member for Mid and West Wales. Suffice to say that there are very few who can assume office with this level of experience. However, Morgan has also had her fair share of negative press, as Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care. This includes presiding over the infected blood scandal, while NHS waiting times have soared.

Huw Irranca-Davies is set to deputise to Morgan. Irranca-Davies is very much seen as a level head in the Welsh Labour Senedd Group. He too brings a great deal of experience to the pairing, having served as a Member of Parliament between 2002 and 2016 and henceforth as a Senedd Member. Irranca-Davies has been criticised in the past for his decision to nominate Jeremy Corbyn in 2015, but he has since carved a presence in the Senedd Group as a moderate and reliable figure.